The IT Nerd

The TELUS Friendly Future Foundation announced its third annual gala will take place on June 18, 2026 at the iconic TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning in Toronto. As young Canadians face increasing challenges ranging from mental health concerns to employment barriers and financial hardship, the gala brings together Canada’s business, philanthropic, technology, and cultural leaders to raise funds to address these urgent issues. Since its inception, the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, with the support of the 13 Canadian TELUS Community Boards, has provided $137 million to support youth across Canada. In 2025 alone, the Foundation exceeded $10 million in impact through grants that fuel critical youth-focused health and education programs and student bursaries that empower the next generation of changemakers to pursue their post-secondary dreams.

All funds raised from the gala directly support the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation’s mission to help youth reach their full potential through two vital programs:

• The TELUS Student Bursary awards up to $5,000 annually to more than 500 deserving post-secondary students facing financial barriers and committed to giving back to their communities. Beyond financial aid, recipients gain access to comprehensive wraparound support including free or heavily discounted TELUS Mobility and Internet for Good plans, mental health services through TELUS Health and professional development opportunities. Since launching in 2023, the program has supported 2,000 students, with more than 50 per cent of all recipients being the first in their families to pursue higher education. 
• TELUS Community Board Grants, which help fund critical, youth-serving charitable programs. The Foundation and its 13 Canadian TELUS Community Boards provide $6 million in grants annually to more than 500 local charities across the country. These grants support innovative, technology-enabled health and education programs that help millions of youth develop critical skills, confidence, and a deep sense of belonging in their communities.

The Together for Tomorrow Gala has become Canada’s premier philanthropic event dedicated to youth empowerment. Building on the success of the first two galas – which raised over $5 million – this year’s event, hosted by television personality Cheryl Hickey, promises an extraordinary evening of entertainment and impact. The night will culminate with an exclusive, one-night-only headline performance by four-time Grammy award winner Lionel Richie. Following the gala, guests are invited to continue the celebration at the afterparty with DJ Jake Wahlberg. A live auction will offer exclusive experiences and opportunities, giving guests the chance to bid on unique items while directly supporting the Foundation’s mission.

The Foundation would like to express a special thanks to TELUS, its many sponsors, donors and volunteers who help make this remarkable event possible.

For more information about the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation Gala, please visit friendlyfuture.com/gala. To learn more about gala sponsorship and attendance, please email info@friendlyfuture.com. 

TELUS is expanding its Connecting for Good programming, which builds stronger and healthier communities across Canada by ensuring no citizen is left behind and has access to world-leading technology, to now include TELUS SmartEnergy for Good. A first-of-its-kind initiative in Canada, TELUS SmartEnergy for Good is designed to advance energy equity by providing vulnerable households with access to smart energy technology at a subsidized monthly service cost. The first phase of SmartEnergy for Good has launched in Ontario, equipping eligible low-income households with the tools and technology they need to reduce energy consumption, lower their utility bills, and contribute to Canada’s climate targets.

The program is open to qualifying low-income Ontario residents, including seniors, families, and youth aging out of government care. Through TELUS SmartEnergy for Good, qualifying customers will receive a subsidized comprehensive SmartHome Energy management package  including: a monthly TELUS SmartEnergy subscription, a smart thermostat rental, two energy monitoring plugs, and professional installation.

TELUS SmartEnergy is a subscription-based energy management solution helping Canadians save money on their energy bills and reduce their environmental footprint. Subscribers can save up to 15 per cent on energy bills by, among other things, automating temperature settings and powering down unused devices, while monitoring usage through personalized insights in the app.

Beyond subsidizing SmartHome technology, the initiative educates households on energy cost reduction while supporting Ontario’s emission reduction targets by reducing grid strain during peak demand. As part of its environmental commitment, TELUS will plant four trees per year on behalf of each participating household, contributing to carbon sequestration and climate resilience.

TELUS plans to bring SmartEnergy for Good to additional provinces across Canada later this year. To learn more, visit telus.com/smartenergyforgood.

TELUS has launched the world’s first smart home AI assistant with Generative UI, rolling out to SmartHome+ customers over the coming weeks. The TELUS SmartHome Assistant processes voice, images, sensor feeds and videos in real time to dynamically create a personalized interface based on user needs. It addresses the smart home industry’s biggest challenge — a fragmented user experience across disparate devices and apps from various brands. Rather than toggling between different apps, the TELUS SmartHome Assistant provides one intuitive interface that truly understands and responds to the user and the entire connected home. TELUS is making it possible to unify more than 2,000 device models, including many of the biggest brands, into a single intelligent interface that makes the connected home experience even better.

The TELUS SmartHome Assistant is evolving in real time as more connected devices are added and it continuously improves its own performance based on experience. If you ask it to disable the TV during homework time, it won’t just tell you it did, it will build the automation UI visually, so you can edit and confirm the new routine with just a few taps. Take a photo of a device that isn’t working and get an instant troubleshooting guide. Ask it if your dog walker showed up on schedule and it checks your cameras to tell you when they arrived and shows you a clip of them leaving the driveway. Rush out the door to get to work, and ask it to turn off the lights, make sure the iron’s unplugged, set the thermostat to eco mode, and lock the front door — then get it to create a routine, so you can set it and forget it. By understanding multiple types of input, the assistant can provide tailored solutions, with a dynamic interface, in real time.

Since launching SmartHome+ in late 2024, TELUS has rapidly expanded the platform with industry-leading innovations, including Automation, Video, SmartEnergy, and now its AI-powered assistant, the TELUS SmartHome Assistant — all accessible through the TELUS SmartHome+ app.

TELUS SmartHome Assistant is available now to all Canadians, and new subscribers to SmartHome+ can save up to $125 on smart devices and 50 per cent off professional installation when they sign up and stay subscribed for 24 months, making it more affordable than ever to transform a residence into an intelligent, cohesive and connected home.

For more information about SmartHome+ and to subscribe to any or all of the Automation, SmartHome+ Video and SmartEnergy subscriptions, visit telus.com/SmartHomePlus.

Photonic Inc. today announced a new level of partnership with TELUS, a world-leading communications technology company powering next-generation connectivity and digital innovation. Together, the companies are jointly pursuing projects advancing quantum-secure networking capabilities and delivering quantum solutions that will provide social and economic value and transform industries worldwide. As a first demonstration of this collaboration, Photonic and TELUS have achieved a significant technical milestone—a world-first quantum teleportation of its kind—proving that TELUS’ existing fibre optic infrastructure can reliably carry quantum information. 

Photonic used TELUS’ existing PureFibre network to successfully transfer quantum information over 30 km of installed commercial fibre. Using their Entanglement First™ architecture, a unique approach that combines silicon-based qubits and native telecom band photonic connectivity, Photonic teleported information into a matter‑based quantum processor that can retain, store, and use that information. Unlike previous demonstrations over commercial fibre, which relied solely on photonic qubits that could be measured but not further processed, this achievement completed the transfer of quantum information to a remote processing node, a critical capability for establishing long-distance quantum networks and commercial-scale quantum computers.

Building on the 2024 partnership, Photonic and TELUS’ collaboration agreement covers an expanded set of projects at the intersection of Photonic’s expertise in distributed quantum computing and quantum networking technologies and TELUS’ industry experience and state-of-the-art PureFibre telecommunications network. This new agreement paves the way for the delivery of products and infrastructure supporting a range of commercial quantum solutions, from quantum data centres to nationwide encrypted networks for ultra-secure, tamper-evident transfer of information.

Photonic is accelerating the path to large-scale, fault tolerant quantum systems with their Entanglement First™ Architecture. This demonstration highlights an advantage of Photonic’s highly connected, modular system design – the ability to leverage established telecommunications infrastructure to achieve commercial scale. Ongoing access to TELUS’ world-class PureFibre network gives Photonic a real-world deployment environment as it delivers scalable distributed quantum computing and networking. 

TELUS Corporation is the first Canadian telecom to achieve its target of sourcing 100% of electricity for their global operations from renewable or low-emitting sources as of December 31, 2025. Building on this milestone, TELUS unveiled its new Climate Transition Framework, a comprehensive roadmap to reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040 while helping to enable Canada’s own transition to a low-carbon economy.

In 2025, TELUS secured Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) validation for comprehensive climate targets (from a 2019 baseline) aligned with contributing to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, including:

• Net-Zero across its value chain through direct sources (Scope 1), indirectly through electricity consumption (Scope 2) and indirectly through TELUS’ value chain (Scope 3) by 2040
• 46% absolute reduction in operational emissions (Scopes 1 and 2) by 2030
• 85% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2033
• 46% absolute reduction in Scope 3 emissions from business travel and employee commuting by 2030
• 75% reduction per million dollars of revenue in Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services, capital goods, and use of sold products by 2030
• By 2028, 65% of TELUS’ suppliers by spend will have also set their own SBTi-approved targets

As a continuation of TELUS’ 25 year focus on sustainability, the Climate Transition Framework outlines the next phase in its commitment to protect the planet for future generations, addressing emissions reduction and climate resilience through five interconnected strategic pillars:

• Business operations: Decarbonizing network infrastructure and buildings through renewable electricity, energy-efficient TELUS PureFibre and 5G networks (which are up to 85% more efficient than traditional copper networks), fleet electrification, and climate adaptation programs
• Supply chain: Engaging suppliers to set science-based targets and implementing ESG audits and due diligence to reduce value chain emissions
• Low carbon products and services: Minimizing environmental impacts through responsible product design, energy efficiency standards, and participation in the Canadian Energy Efficiency Voluntary Agreement program (CEEVA)
• Stakeholder engagement: Collaborating with suppliers, industry peers, government, and communities to drive transformational climate action
• Enabling emissions reductions outside of our value chain and protecting nature: Enabling emissions reductions beyond TELUS’ value chain through remote work solutions, virtual healthcare, smart energy management, and precision agriculture. Investing in nature-based solutions including actively planting more than 25 million trees to date

Following today’s release of the framework, TELUS plans to unveil a comprehensive Climate Transition Plan later this year that will outline strategies for climate resilience and provide detailed pathways for achieving its net-zero ambition, with a particular focus on addressing Scope 3 emissions across its value chain.

To learn more about TELUS’ commitment to global sustainability, visit telus.com/sustainability.

TELUS today announced the successful deployment and commissioning of its nearly 125-kilometre submarine fibre optic cable connecting Sept-Îles to Sainte-Anne-des-Monts. This critical infrastructure, which was deployed and buried in the seabed of the St. Lawrence River in November and December 2025, provides essential redundancy to the telecommunications network serving communities east of Baie-Comeau. This major project was made possible through a joint investment of more than $20 million from TELUS and the Government of Canada.

The commissioning of this submarine infrastructure creates an essential backup route that will ensure the continuity of all telecommunications services in the event of failures or breaks on the main terrestrial network along Route 138 between Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles. The cable offers massive bandwidth capacity, ultra-low latency and multi-decade durability, while ensuring physical redundancy as part of TELUS’s diverse route strategy.

A connectivity project anchored in responsible innovation

This major project was carried out following strict standards for the protection of marine wildlife and the environment. Several innovative initiatives were deployed.

• During cable installation, the team relied on a detection system combining thermal imaging, AI and human intelligence to prevent collisions and reduce sound impacts on marine mammals—a first in Canada.
• Environmental restoration work is planned for the spring and summer of 2026 to ensure the protection of the St. Lawrence River shorelines and to support the natural regrowth of resilient plants such as Sea Lyme-grass.

This initiative is part of TELUS’s commitment to connecting regions, supported by $70 billion in planned investments through 2029 allocated to infrastructure development, business expansion and spectrum licence acquisition.

TELUS and L-SPARK today announced a new partnership to provide Canadian startups and innovators with access to the TELUS Sovereign AI Factory –

Canada’s fastest and most powerful supercomputer – addressing a critical barrier facing Canadian AI startups: access to high-performance compute infrastructure without relocating or building on foreign platforms.

This collaboration marks a significant step forward in enabling Canada’s startup and innovation ecosystem by providing them access to the same enterprise-grade computing infrastructure available to large organizations. By making this same technology available, regardless of business size, TELUS and L-SPARK are creating a new pathway for Canadian companies to build cutting-edge AI solutions, scale domestically and compete globally – all while keeping everything under Canadian control and jurisdiction.

As Canada’s leading corporate accelerator partner, L-SPARK connects high-potential startups and growing companies with enterprise partners and the resources necessary to thrive in today’s competitive market. For nearly a decade, L-SPARK has supported over 130 Canadian companies through specialized accelerator programs, helping them raise more than $200 million in follow-on funding. Now, this landmark partnership will empower more startups and small businesses to leverage the TELUS Sovereign AI Factory – powered by latest-generation NVIDIA H200 GPUs and NVIDIA Quantum 2 InfiniBand networking – to train, fine-tune and deploy AI models on Canadian-controlled infrastructure.

The collaboration will prioritize organizations in regulated and mission-critical sectors where data residency, auditability and Canadian legal jurisdiction are essential, including public sector services, healthcare, finance, critical infrastructure and utilities.

This partnership builds on TELUS’ longstanding commitment to supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs across Canada through programs including TELUS Global Ventures, TELUS #

StandWithOwners, and TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good. By providing access to sovereign, high-performance compute infrastructure, TELUS is helping level the playing field for Canadian startups that would otherwise need to rely on foreign cloud providers or forgo ambitious AI initiatives altogether. TELUS plans to expand startup AI access through additional partnerships with accelerators, incubators, research institutions and innovation hubs across Canada in the coming months.

Canadian startups, scaleups and research teams with defined AI workloads and significant GPU requirements can sign up here with L-SPARK to access reserved TELUS AI Factory GPU capacity.

Darren Entwistle, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of TELUS, has been named the University of Victoria (UVic) Peter B. Gustavson School of Business 2026 Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year Award (DEYA) recipient. 

This recognition highlights exceptional entrepreneurial leadership that has reshaped an entire industry, including:

• Entwistle is the longest-serving CEO in the global telecommunications industry, leading TELUS since 2000
• Under his 26-year tenure, he transformed TELUS from a regional Western Canadian telephone company into a global communications and IT leader
• TELUS now holds a brand value of $12.1 billion — making it Canada’s most valuable telecommunications brand
• Since 2000, TELUS and its team members have contributed $1.8 billion to communities, including more than 2.5 million days of volunteer service, which is more than any other company in the world. 

For more information, please see the University of Victoria’s media release here.

‘Include our feedback as you build AI’ is the key message from American and Canadian respondents polled in TELUS’ latest cross-border study, AI Trust Atlas: Public perspectives on bridging the AI trust gap. With 85% of Canadians and 89% of Americans reporting that they are using AI, familiarity with the technology is growing – and so are calls for inclusion and engagement in how AI is designed and deployed.

The report captures perspectives from more than 11,000 Canadians and Americans, with special attention to historically underrepresented* communities, highlighting the importance of including a wide range of voices to build trustworthy AI. In strong majorities, respondents shared that their trust in companies that use AI is stronger when organizations review potential harms before release, explain AI use in plain language and actively listen to customer input on how AI is deployed.

Charting a course to trust in AI

Survey participants laid out actions companies that deploy AI technology can take to earn their confidence:

• 69% of Canadians and 72% of Americans want companies to actively seek and listen to customer input before deploying AI
• 76% of Canadians and 77% of Americans would trust companies more if they reviewed AI systems for potential harms before launching new tools
• 73% of Canadians and 74% of Americans want companies to explain how they use AI in easy-to-understand terms
• 90% in both countries believe AI should be regulated, demonstrating strong support for governance frameworks

Trust in AI is built through collaboration

The report concludes with actionable recommendations for government, industry and academia, providing a clear roadmap for implementation:

• Strengthen AI literacy through education programs that help people understand and safely use AI
• Embed diverse perspectives throughout AI development – from conception to deployment – to create more resilient, trusted systems that work equitably for all communities
• Provide clear explanations and human oversight for critical AI decisions
• Collaborate across sectors to create ethical standards that keep people safe while encouraging innovation

Global leadership in AI

TELUS established its leadership in human-centric technology, consistently evolving how it innovates to meet the changing needs and expectations of customers and communities:

• In September 2025, TELUS opened Canada’s first Sovereign AI Factory — a secure, scalable and high-performance AI compute facility to support Canadian businesses and economy, and drive our nation’s AI future
• In November 2025, the TELUS AI Factory was named Canada’s fastest and most powerful supercomputer by the prestigious TOP500 list, ranking 78th among the world’s 500 most powerful computing systems
• TELUS’ generative AI (GenAI) customer support tool made history by becoming the first in the world to be internationally certified in Privacy by Design (ISO 31700-1)
• It was the first telecom to sign a voluntary AI code of conduct introduced by the Canadian federal government, and has won several international awards for its work, including the Responsible AI Institute’s Outstanding Organization prize
• TELUS participates in many international forums including speaking on UN AI for Good panels, NIST’s U.S. AI Safety Institute Consortium, and participating in the G7 Business delegation, while collaborating strategically with leading AI research institutes including Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, the Vector Institute and Alberta Machine Learning Institute (AMII)
• TELUS was one of the first contributors to the Hiroshima AI Process Transparency Report and was featured as a case study in the Business at OECD report on AI skills and productivity
• It also partnered with Indigenomics to launch IndigenomicsAI with TELUS’ Sovereign AI Factory to advance Indigenous economic growth

By prioritizing trust, TELUS aims to create a future where everyone can confidently embrace the benefits of technology. To read the full report, visit telus.com/ResponsibleAI.